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Subway Story
In class, we watched a David Letterman interview about the “subway hero” who risked his life to save somebody else. While most people went on with their lives, Wesley Autrey dived into the tracks of the subway to help another person. He exemplifies heroics on an ordinary day and serves as a counterexample to the prevalence of the bystander effect, which states that the likelihood of somebody helping varies inversely with the number of people around. It seems that heroism involves taking risks. -
Free Write about Heroism
My responses to some questions about heroes:
1.Do you personally know anyone that you consider a hero? No.
2.Do you know of people that the news media considers a hero but you disagree that what he or she did was “heroic?” No.
3.Have you ever done anything that would be considered heroic? No
4.Come up with your personal definition of what it means to be a “hero.”
Heroism: doing something for others regardless of how scoiety views your actions; caring about others, but not about what they think. -
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Hero Project-Tony Deng
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Roy Benavidez: Why Courage Matters by John McCain
The class learned about Roy Benavidez today, a soldier in the Vietnam war who helped his comrades for six hours even after sustaining serious injuries. Compared to the subway hero, whose act of heroism lasted about half an hour, Roy’s actions seem more courageous because of the duration, as well as the fact that he knew he would, and did, get hurt. Some things that he did seemed superhuman, but regardless, Roy provides an example of how any seemingly ordinary person has the capacity for heroism. -
Interview with krisi Quillen, Peace Corps Interview
English today consisted of an interview of Kristi Quillen, who left to volunteer for the Peace Corps in another nation instead of just living a much easier life. Her willingness to give up technology for years of her life fascinates me. Rather than hot water, internet, or any other modern convenience, she misses her friends and family the most. Overall, Krirti's selflessness as well as her decision to dedicate years of her life make her a hero and shows how heroes do more than just save lives. -
Heroes in Literature Assignment
In class, we got into groups to go over how authors have created heroes in their stories. We learned that authors frequently base their heroes on real people and that the authors themselves can be considered heroes for conveying ideas through the hero that they create. It seems that another type of hero displays the courage to speak out for what they believe in, rather than the willingness make sacrifices for other people or make significant contributions to the world. -
The Need for a New Hero
Chris Gardner wrote a rather explicit biography, which got me thinking that I needed to pick somebody else, so after school, I went to ask if I could switch heroes. -
Searching for a Hero in the Library
The library has a lot of biographies, but not all of them have enough pages, and I am struggling to decide on my hero. After a quick preview over a person, I usually end up ruling them out. Hopefully, I can find a real “hero” figure, and if not, maybe I can find a doctor or scientist, since I aspire to have some sort of science related career. -
Chalkboard Notes
The notes taken in class broadened my definition of a hero by letting me see that many different types of heroes exist whether those people had physical courage, selflessness, leadership, innovative contributions, spiritual significance, or any other valuable traits. They all had courage, and I could consider any of them as heroes. -
Deciding on My Hero and the First Blog Post
At first, I thought about choosing Chris Gardner because the movie based on him blew me away, but I learned that when Hollywood makes a movie, they change the book a lot.
Eventually I decided just to go with Isaac Newton, whose contributions could make him a hero because in class, I realized that many types of heroes exist.
This project requires me to make a lot of decisions, but at least, by the end of it, I can answer the question “who is your hero?” that will definitely come up in my future. -
Hugh Laurie: "Change the World" Power Point Notes Day 1
The first video we watched had Hugh Laurie singing about how he had no idea how to change the world. Every time he got to the chorus about what needed to be done, Hugh Laurie began to mumble and avoided saying anything, but the song did introduce the point of heroism relating to changing the world. -
“Year of the Rat:” "Change the World" Power Point Notes Day 1
Second, we watched “The Year of the Rat” in which a boy solves his problems through hugs and embracing his environment through love. This makes it seem like changing the world and being a hero merely involves showing kindness to others and making the best of every situation, as much as you can. -
“Liberty Mutual Ad: "Change the World” Power Point Notes Day 1
Finally, we watched a Liberty Mutual commercial about a chain reaction of kindness.
The ad defined responsibility as “doing the right thing.”
This ad has the most clarity in depicting how small acts of kindness can make a difference and really emphasizes the importance of doing anything at all possible to change the world for the better. Maybe a hero is just somebody who does everything they can, within their power, to make the world a better place. -
Waiting for the World to Change” by John Mayer: "Change the World" Power Point Notes Day 1
The message of the next video focused on accepting the problems of the world and waiting patiently until we can get the opportunity to fix them.
The song had a resigned tone based on lyrics like “everything that’s going wrong with the world” and waiting for the world to change.”
I disagree with the message of Mayer’s song because I think that people can do something about the problems in the world, even if their actions have little impact, and by doing so, can be considered heroes. -
“Change the World” Power Point Notes Day 2
Class today involved listening to a song which assumed that the older generations fail to understand the youth of today, who speak their minds and often act in a controversial manner.
After that, we watched a video using the same song which focused on the importance for education to solve the problems of today.
Finally, we listened to a poem about how we have to act in order to prevent the world form changing into a materialistic place that has lost sight of the important things in life. -
My Definition of a Hero Becomes Broader
All the notes we have been taking over all the videos that we have been watching in class have really made me begin to think that society has different views about what makes a hero, although none of their views may necessarily be correct or incorrect. Even those children could be considered heroes for choosing to do anything they could to help out those in need. Ultimately, a hero just needs to have courage, but there are no definite guidelines as to what type of courage that person must have. -
Class Discussion over Interview and Heroes in Literature
Class today was spent going over the details of the interview that we are supposed to conduct. I am not too sure of whom I am going to ask for an interview for my project. Afterwards, we went over all the "heroes" that we have read about in literature throughout school, which made me realize how many books I have had to read for school throughout the years. Hopefully, that will help me with my second post and to get an idea about how authors create their heroes or base them off of real people. -
Sharing Something from Our Books
In class, we each shared an excerpt from our books. Each passage revealed a fascinating detail about the hero, like the removal of his brain for scientific study, or merely illustrated a significant even in his or her life. My passage showed the eccentric nature of Isaac Newton, who, despite being a man of science, often acted illogically shown through his practice of alchemy as well as his odd belief that drinking a hazardous mixture of random ingredients would stave off sickness. -
Finishing My Timetoast
As I finish this timeline, I see how my definition heroism has changed. My view of heroes broadened and I now see how many people can qualify as heroes. The ones we call heroes might have stood up for their beliefs or dedicated themselves toward an ideal greater than themselves. Although all these heroes may seem drastically different from one another, Einstein, Muhammad Ali, and any other “hero” all have courage, to be themselves and do what is right.
